Automobile-signal.



L. CARPENTER.

AUTOMOBILE SIGNAL.

awncmon men APR. 19. 1915.

1 246,024 Patented Sept. 11, 1917.

2 SHEEIS SHEET 1.

UNITED STATES PA TENT OFFICE.

STEPHEN L. CARPENTER. OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LEOPOLD KARPEN, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

AUTOMOBILE-SIGNAL.

Application filed April 19,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, STEPHEN L. CARPEN- van, a citizen of the United States, residing at New Rochelle, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile-Signals; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable other skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in automobile signals and the principal object of the invention is to pro vide a device by which a driver may signal a vehicle which might be following his intentioned stop.

Another object of the invention is to provide/a signal of the above character which is automatically operated upon the applica tion of either the service or emergency brake.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a device which is readily attachable to motor vehicles of the usual construction without necessitating the modification thereof in any measurable degree.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel form of signal and supportinn bracket therefor.

With the above and other objects in view, lhe invention consists in the novel combination and arrangement of parts which will be fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a vehicle body showing my improved signal applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a. vertical sectional view of a fragment of the body showing the signal in place.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the signul and Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional view of the signal.

Itcforvin now to the drawing by charactors of re eronce. the numeral 1 designates as an entirely the vehicle body provided with the usual flooring 2. The usual sup porting frame is provided and carries the wheels 3 on the axle land these wheels are provided with the ordinary type of brake drums 5. Journalcd transversely of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 11, 1917. 1915. Serial No. 22,407.

frame is the usual emergenc brake shaft 6 carrying the emergency bra e levers 7 and to this shaft is connected the arm 8 to which is connected the brake rod 9, the rear end of which is connected toa U-shaped bracket 10 formed on the brake controlling shaft 11, the opposite ends of which are provided with arms 12 to which the brake rods 13 are connected which operate on the interior of the brake drum 5.

The service brake pedal 14 is ivoted in the usual way and has connected t ercto the operating rod 15, the opposite end of which is pivoted to the U-shaped frame 16 on the shaft 11' and it will be seen that when the service brake edal 14 is o erated, power will be transmitted to the s aft 11 and it will pull on the connecting rods 17 which are securedto the rod 18 formed at each end of the shaft 11. The opposite end of each rod 17 is connected in any suitable manner with the exterior brake operating mechanism of the brake drum 5. It will thus be seen that when the service brake is operated, the shaft 11 will be rotated and when the emergency brake lever 7 is operated, the shaft 11 will be rotated. Connected to the U-shaped frames 16 and 10 are bars 19, the opposite ends of which are connected to springs 20. These springs 20 are'connected by means of the links 21 to the lever 22 which is pivoted as at 23 to a plate 24 carried on the under side of the floor 2 of the vehicle. is provided with a suitable guide 25' for the free end of the lever to work within. A ring 26 is connected to the free end of the lever and has secured thereto a spring 27, which is attached in any suitable manner to the floor as at 28. I

A suitable flexible connect on 29 is provided and operates through the tube 30 which extends beneath the foot-board and is slightly upturned as at 31 so that the end of the flexible member opposite the one which is connected to the lever 22 is directed upwardly.

Having described the vehicle and operating mechanism for the si al it now remains to proceed with the deta description of the signal which comprises the casin designated generally by the numeral 32. his casing comprises the substantially rectangular housing 33, one corner of which is bevelled as at 34. Two adjacent walls of the housing are This plate formed of transparent panels 155 and 30 and the tra|n-2|mrent panel 35 ll-i hinged as at 37 to the housing to enable the user to gain aecrns to the interior of the housin Y to make repairs and lhe like. Suitable astenings 38 are carried by the housing and. are arrangio to engage the panel 35 to hold the name cloned when in normal position. The panel 55 is preferably formed of men glass while the panel 36 is referably 0 red glass and provided with tie transparent letters forming lhe word stop. The ends of the housing are provided with diagonally extending bracing strips -10 and one of these strips iaextended as at 41 and provided with the angular extensions 42 which form alever, the use of which will appear as the des ription irocceds. Each of these Htri s lSPI'UVllP-d. with a suitable opening for tiie reception of the hearing shaft on which the signal is pivoted.

In order to support the signal, tbebraclmts rleaignatod generally by the numeral 13 are provided and comprise the strip 44. the ends of which are bent upwardly and angnlarly as at 45, thu fol-min a centrally U-shaped. frame. The free chili of the bent portionu 15 are provided with openings for the recvplll' ll of the tubular shaft 46 on which the signal is mounted and this shaft 4-6 is preferably tubular in form to accommodate the wires ll which supply electric current to the lamp 48 no that the device may be illuminnled at night. 'lhcse lamps 48 are sulppoi-led in suitable lamp brackets 49 which are held between the clamped ends 50 ofthe (lamps 51 which Surround the shaft l6 and support the lamps after being poni" tinned. 'lhv end of the flexible member 29 opposite the ne Wllhll is secured to the lever 22 is secured in any suitable manner through one of the openings 52 fornu-d in lh exlensionn 41 and 42. It will than be soon that when the lever is operated. the housing 32 will be thrown into position shown in Fig. 4.

it will b:- apparont from the foregoing that in use as soon an either the enu-rgcney brake or service hralze is operated, pull will be oxorled on one of lhc z-onnccting rods l9 and tl'n-rrby move the lever 22 Ho lliat itS free end will exert pull on th llcxible memla'l 25 and thereby move the signal into the position shown in Fig. 4 indicating that lhe driver has applied the brake. 'lhe applicalion ol' the main: is not limited as the. pring 20 will give after the lever has moved it, limit, so that the brakes may be applied as hard as necessary Without injuring the signaling mechanism. As sum as the resurc is: released from the brake pedal or ever it i. evident that the spring 27 will return the lever to its normal iosition and thereby permit the housing to i top by gravity into shown and described the'prel'erred embodi ment of this invention, it is to be understood that such changes may be made in the combination and arrangement oh parts as will fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claim.

What i claim is:

A. direction indicator comprising an elongated casing, a glass plate closing one of the walla of lhe caning and having direction. indicating rhalarzters thereon, a colored glass plate rlosing another wall of the casing for forming a tail light signal. braces secured. to the end ':|ll.-. and extending diagonally thereof. a hollow shalt extending lhrou h the casing and the braces, a suhstanlia ly U-shaped supporting member having its arm portions ad acent thrir free ends apertured to rolatably receive the ends of the hollow shaft, a curved extension formed upon one of the braces and adapted to have means PUlH'lHll'll therein for rotating the casing within the substantially U-nhapeil sup vorting member to bring the direction inc icating character into view, said hollow shaft having apertures therein and located within he ra ing, electric wires extending into the hollow shaft and through the apertures lhrreol', brackets secured to the hollow shaft :nllacont each end; electric-lamp sockets carried by said brackets and eonneetecl with the a iron extending outwardl through the apertures of the shaft, an electric lam 5 carried by said sockets for illuminating tlie casing.

In testimony whereof I aflixmy signature in presence of two witnes-aes.

ST? HEN L. CARPENTER. Witnesses:

ll/umY L. Comm, Jenn J. Acumen. 

